RESPONDING TO COVID-19

A Note From Our Leadership

We will remember 2020 for the epic impact exacted on each of our lives.

Some of us may remember the poignancy of the 9/11 tragedy or aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. But all of us will forever recall the impact of the indiscriminate COVID-19 pandemic. This grand-scale social modifier is changing how we approach almost everything – from educating our children and building social connections, to getting work done and taking care of our loved ones. We are dealing with it, each day as it comes, but the effects will be felt by billions of people for decades into the future. Of that we are quite certain.

MILLIONS LEADING, BILLIONS BENEFITTING

From the very first day of Kotter’s business, our mission has been to create millions of leaders to benefit billions of people. Now, perhaps more than ever, the world needs billions of people to feel the impact and see the effect of great leadership. In times of great uncertainty, leadership begins with frequent, clear, and transparent communication. Do not be afraid of not having all the answers – no one expects that today. People take great comfort in knowing what their leaders are thinking and planning, even if the picture isn’t rosy. The error of silence will likely result in people imagining a narrative even more dire than leaders are contemplating. So communicate, communicate, communicate.

And, to the extent possible, leaders should take the long view. Everyone believes this crisis will pass. The key is to position your organization to be as strong as possible on the other side. Countless stories of generosity and sacrifice are being written every day. Unfortunately, other stories are being written as well. It is a well-researched fact that strong and adaptable culture is linked to superior performance. It follows, therefore, that organizations whose leaders do the best job of weathering this crisis in ways that strengthen culture will be rewarded long into the future. At Kotter, we have taken every conceivable step to reduce short-term operating costs and preserve cash flow. We have communicated a goal to our employees that no one lose their job due to the COVID-19 crisis. We have also communicated that, if necessary, our next step will be temporary salary cuts, with the most significant born by the most senior in the organization. Every organization’s response to COVID-19 must be dictated by its unique circumstances. Our recommendation is to be as transparent and compassionate as possible.

LEADING THROUGH CHANGE

The very foundation of our work is focused on enabling teams to lead through change, and our origins are directly linked to the groundbreaking research conducted by Dr. John Kotter at Harvard Business School. He quite literally wrote the book on Leading Change, and we have turned this book, and his many others, into an operational blueprint for leaders and teams who want to emerge through change as a beacon of strength.

The clients we serve to that end – visionaries and pioneers in their industries – are all experiencing unprecedented change right now. Some are figuring out how to curtail key activities in light of operating restrictions or a general market slow down. Others are trying to ramp up every conceivable part of their business as they look to satisfy the exponential demand for their products and services. We’re doing some high-impact work across this entire spectrum in an environment where no one – be it individual, organization or government entity – is immune to change.

We are a team of professionals spread across many time zones, working with clients around the world. We have long been fans of the virtual work model and, in fact, the dispersion of our team has necessitated working in this way for a decade. Over time, we’ve watched the technology improve to where it is today: largely reliable and feature-rich. Our work with clients has continued in this virtual environment we are now all in together. Some things that we all were accustomed to in our lives are different now, but one thing that remains unchanged is the continuity of impact that we are proud to deliver with our clients. From our actual experience, we can confidently encourage you that limitations on travel need not be a barrier to the positive progress, collective energy, and clever collaboration of any team.

We are creatively working with organizations to build solutions that will rapidly address issues that didn’t even exist a week ago. It is fast. It is rewarding. And it is necessary. Feel free to reach out to us. If we think we can do something great together we will tell you. And if not, we will still happily invest our time and expertise to share our perspectives on leading change for you and your team.

From our home offices, kitchen tables, and sofas to yours, we wish you health and safety above all else. We’ll make it through this, and we will do it together.

What Post-Recession Winners Know And Do

COVID-19 has created a world that none of us has ever experienced before. How do you lead and emerge from something that none of us have ever experiencced? CEO Rick Western and President of Consulting Russell Raath answer just that in this Perspective.